by Suzy Stembridge

Created on: December 13, 2009

The Internet has an unlimited resource of softwares that is growing at an exponential rate. While most of us can do without these fortuitous software, the offer of free, fun, fancy programs is hard to resist. Before you know it, you're wondering why your computer's processing speed is snail-like and it takes 30 minutes just to boot up. Although these unnecessary programs were easy to install, you might find it difficult to remove these bit suckers from your PC.

The most elementary method to remove unwanted programs is to use Window's “Add or Remove Programs” option. This can be found under the “Control Panel” at the Start menu. Once accessed, a new window will appear, listing all the programs already installed in Windows. If highlighted, that program listed will display its description its size, when was it last used and the frequency of usage. The most important button is the “Change/Remove” button. Clicking on that will start the uninstall process, ridding you of the unnecessary hindrance.

These days, programs installed on Windows will include an uninstall option readily available should you need it. To find out, look for said program using the Start menu. Once highlighted, the new header should contain an uninstall option along with it. The rest is merely clicking on the “Next” button and going through a step-by-step guide.

When all else fails, there is another method that is uncommon but equally effective. Get access to the drive that contains the operating system, which usually greets you with a window noting that the files on this drive should not be modified. Select the option to view the contents and then select “Program Files” folder. Once there, find the folder with the similar name of the program you want to get rid of. Note that while it is common to find the folder of the same name, sometimes it is listed as the software company instead. Delete the whole folder. This step should be taken as a last resort because deleting the folder while the program has yet to be removed could create problems as dependant files could be missing.

While there are many options in removing unwanted programs from Windows, one should always remember to restart the PC to make sure all changes has been updated properly. It should also be noted that while some free programs are easy to uninstall, they might leave nasty impressions such as worms, spy bots and even viruses. A good rule of thumb when being tempted to install additional software is: if you weren't looking for it, you probably don't need it.

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